The Story of Auna Cress
by tswift1fan
Summary: [Book 1 in the OC's of Camp Half-Blood series] Auna's father was killed when she was six. A mysterious woman claiming to be her mother came to the rescue. Now bound to a gray orphanage with her best friend. Is she supposed to live there her whole life, or is she supposed to run away and find her own story? Find out. Yes, this is a series now...
1. Prologue (part 1)

Auna Cress

**A/N Woop woop! New story! Hey readers! This is my new story of Auna Cress! You may recognize her from Daily Life of a Demigod. This is her backstory! Yippee I can't wait to start writting, so without further ado, read on!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus. But I do own Auna Cress and Shad Burly.**

Prologue part 1

I was jogging my way back home from school. The smell of fresh rain from the pavement soaked my nose. The rain soaked all of me actually. I was so wet my usual chin-leingth black curly hair look longer than usual. I hiked my dark red leather jacket higher over my shoulders like it would make a difference to protect myself from the ice cold pellets of wet. Stupid weather. Let me introduce myself. My name is Aunalee Cress. If you ever call me Aunalee, consider yourself dead. Call me Auna. My mother apparently insisted on naming me Aunalee, from what my dad told me. I was six years old. I learned quickly in life how to defend myself. Here I was, a six year-old, walking herself back to school by herself in the rain. My dad was supposed to give me a ride back on his motorcycle, but he never showed.

I finally reached our tiny one-room apartment. I saw that my dad's motorcycle wasn't parked in the driveway. Weird. He's usually home by now. I shrugged it off and went around back to enter through the garage. My dad always locked the front door when he left, but he always left the garage door unlocked just in case he lost his keys or something. I opened it and took off my soggy black running shoes. The red leather jacket was nine sizes too big for me, but it was the only jacket I owned. My dad says it was my mother's. I always wore it. When the teacher begged me to putt on one of the jackets that fit me, I always refused. I closed the door behind myself and took of the over-sized jacket. Call it unsafe for a six-year-old to be walking herself back home from school. It is. I lived in a busy city somewhere in New York. Our apartment was in an alleyway not too far from school. I walked inside the one bedroom apartment and grabbed a blanket off the couch. Less then fifteen minutes later, my soaked dad rushed through the door and quickly locked it behind himself. "Da-?" I started to ask but quickly got interrupted by a lud bang. "C'mon!" He hurredly and grabbed my arm. "Dad what's going o-"

"No time!" He rushed and went into the small bedroom. He shoved my jacket on me and I quickly stuffed my feet inside my boots. He pulled a black beanie hat over my head. He grabbed a backpack from under the bed and started stuffing clothes and food into it. There were more bangs at the door. I had never felt so scared in my life. My dad grabbed his pistol from up on the top shelf of the closet. He threw the backpack over his shoulder, grabbed my arm with one hand, the pistol in the other. He pulled me through the house til we got to the garage door. He slowly opened it and peeked through. The bangs at the front door got louder. Together we snuck out the garage door and ran through the ally. Soon enough we were on Main Street. He hid the pistol in his jacket and we made our way along the sidewalk with the other bustling busy lives of people. "Dad, where are we going?" I asked confused and scared. "Long story." He said as of that answered everything. We cut into another dark ally. We stopped by a dumpster to catch out breath. Suddenly, a loud bang pierced through the ally way, and my father fell flat on his face. "Dad?" I asked timidly not louder then a whisper. He didn't respond. "Dad!" I said louder.

"Well, well, well..." I heard a ruff voice say. I turned to see where the voice was coming from. A large man in a leather jacket held a gun that was aimed for my dad. "Jonah has a daughter. Would've never guessed." I must have had the most frightened look on my face. He had an evil grin on his face as he started whaling closer to me, taking the gun aim to me. I backed up against the wall. "Daddy!"I called out, tears pouring from my cheeks. "He's not waking up, sweety." He said evilly. Before I knew it, the gun was only inches from my face. His finger started to curl around the trigger. I squinted my eyes shut.

The gun shot went off... But I felt fine. I slowly opened my eyes and let out a small shriek to see the man was laying dead before me. "What?" I whispered. "It's alright," Said a woman's voice. I looked up from my tears and saw a woman before me. She had dark curly hair, like mine, but much longer. She also shared the same bright green eyes as me. But that's not the only thing we had in common. Our pale skin, our elfish faces, our light freckles. She looked like an older version of myself. She wore almost all leather. "W-who are y-you?" I asked shivering. She smiled and knelt before me. "I gave you that jacket." She said smiling.

"M... Mom?" I asked confusedly. She nodded. "B-but you're dead!"

She chuckled at this. "Is that what he told you?" Somehow through the pouring rain, she was completely dry... And she seemed warm... She saw me shivering. She held out her arms. I was six, so I couldn't really feel anger for her abandoning me for all those years. I ran into her hug, and soon my shivering stopped. "Now, Aunalee," She said and I looked up at her. "You must promise me to be strong. Your life is only going to get harder and harder. I'm not gonna be there every time something goes wrong. Please promise me?" She said. I nodded. She smiled.

"Good girl," She said. Soon sirens were to be heard outside the alleyway. "I must go now, and I won't see you in a long time. Remember to be strong. For your father's sake."

"Why can't you stay?" I asked tears starting to pour from my eyes again.

"You will understand one day." I closed my eyes and she kissed my forehead. When I opened them again, she was gone. "Mom?"

Police came running down the ally. When they saw me, they had the most confused face ever. "Who are you?" He said.

**A/N Boom! How you like that sauce? Lol. What you think? PLEASE TELL ME BY REVIEWING! YOU WILL GET A COOKIE. Please. Please. Please! Ok enough begging. See you soon. BTW for any confusion as to why Auna's dad (Jonah) got shot, it was because he was leader of a biker gang. Another biker gang leader shot him. Anyway, review!**

**Always overuse smiley faces ~tswift1fan**


	2. Prologue (part 2)

**A/N Sorry for the update in fornever. I (unfortunately) cancelled Daily Life of a Demigod. But hey, I can maybe rewrite it in the future. Maybe when this story wraps up. Just remember if you see Auna Cress in a different story SHE DOES BELONG TO ME. I gave a few other authors permission to use her. So no confusion. So, I guess there's not mush else to say since I got reviews. Sorry guys, we're still in prologue, but soon enough chapter 1 should be rolling around soon. Okay, here we are.**

Prologue part 2

Soon enough, I was taken to the police station. They questioned me relentlessly. I was only six, what was I supposed to tell them? The truth? How my long lost mother appeared and saved the day? I told them what I could, but no one would believe that story. Especially not from a six-year-old!

"What happened after your dad got shot?" Asked Officer Jonathen. I actually like Jonathen. He was there to give me a ride home from school when my dad didn't show. He and my dad were actually friends.

"I don't know..." I half lied. Technically, I could've been going crazy. "I opened my eyes, and he was on the gwound." I was six, ok?

"It's ok Auna, we'll figure this out. Do you have any family besides your dad?" He asked. I nodded my head 'no'. I wasn't lying, either. I only had my Aunt Lisa, and she was looney toons. My family is just wonderful, huh?

"Alright. We're going to take you to some place full of other kids to play with you. That are just like you. Would you like that?"

A slightly nodded. He led me out of the room. He said some things to other officers, but most of it I was tuning out or just couldn't understand. Sooner or later I was riding in the back of a police car to a giant mansion. And may I say, the mansion was huge; A large figure of a building completely made of bricks, large windows like the ones I saw in movies. Two chimneys were on each side of the building with smoke coming out. There was also a large yard surrounded by a tall fence with lots of kids playing in it. All the kids were wearing grey uniforms were all playing in the yard. None looked much older than 17.

Some women were lined around the children, no doubt keeping an eye on them. We parked out front and Jonathen led me through the giant gate. We were greeted by a woman in matching uniform to the children. "Why hello," She greeted us, "Is this a new child?" She asked. She looked young; twenty at the most. She had light brown hair in a pony tail and blue eyes.

"Yes, may I speak to the head?" Jonathen asked.

"Why sure. Who's this?" She said to me, kneeling to get to eye level.

"I'm Auna." I said shyly.

"Why hello Auna, I'm Maryanne."

"Hi,"

Maryanne looked back up at Jonathen. "The office is right through that door. In the mean time, I'll get Auna here settled." Jonathen nodded and we said our goodbye's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"So, do you like it?" Asked Maryanne two days later. I twirled in my new uniform. I looked at my uniform; A white button-up shirt with sleeves that came down right above my elbows, along with a grey tie and grey plate skirt that came down to my knees, with knee-high white socks and black mary-janes. It also came with a gray blazer in case I got cold. Maryanne wore a larger version of the outfit. She came up behind me in the mirror, gently brushing my short curly black hair. She placed a grey and white striped bow beret on the back of my head.

"It's a little...dull." I said.

"Yes, but all the little girls here have to wear it. SO do the boys, except not the skirt and bow." She smiled.

It turns out that giant beautiful mansion was an orphanage and not so beautiful. Everything ws dull, grey. There was no room for any one who dared to be different. Not a splash of color told me I was special. But even at six, I could make out a lie. She told everone would want to be my parent. But my dad wasn't replaceable. I never knew my mother, but I knew my life would never be the same. But I decided something that say. That was the last time Aunalee Luna Cress would ever be afraid.

**A/N So, there ya go. Again, I apologize for never updating, and also for super short-ness of the prologue. But, on the bright side, chapter 1 should be coming up soon!**

**Overuse smiley faces! ~tswift1fan**

**Also PLEASE REVIEW. And I promise not to fall of the face of the earth anymore ;)**


	3. Chapter 1, When You Hate Something

**A/N Yay, the first chapter of this fic. Victories! I don't know why I'm celebrating this though because I've got, like, NO FOLLOWERS XD. BUt I can celebrate to myself, right? Right! I really hope y'all like and all. So I guess there's nothing else to say...**

Chapter 1; When you Hate Something

When you're sure you hate something, you should think twice. I was sure I hated that orphanage. I woke every day putting on that dull uniform for nine years. Now I am fifteen. Still waking up and putting on that dull uniform and pacing in a house of gray where there is no room for anyone who dares to be different. That someone is me. I dare to be different. I know I'm completely reusing these lines, but that's the only way I can describe my prison.

White sunlight peered through my morning. But, as I always am, already wide awake. I lie in bed writing in my small notebook I managed to sneak out of the mansion and buy with Shad, my only friend here. I wrote more lyrics in the small black notebook. Black an white, like the rest of my life. I imagine rhythm and write the words. Most of the songs in my notebook are sad tragics about losing your life without dying. Sometimes when I sneak to my secret hide out I actually sing until the adults come looking for me.

When the girl next to me started waking, Shya. She's ok, but she's more of a loner. She almost never speaks unless spoken to, and even then she replies with small answers. I flipped my notebook shut and rolled over onto my bed, but more lyrics kept flowing through my head.

_Someday I'll escape_

_From the bane_

_Of my unfair existence_

_From this house of gray_

_That'll be the day_

_For anyone who dares to be different_

I hid the notebook under my pillow. No one can know how I got it. The nurse maids came ringing through the room, as always. "Wake up, my lovely children!" Said Maryanne. She's gotten older now, twenty-nine. I rolled over, pretending to just wake up. Maryanne was one of the few women here I liked. I sat up, rubbing my not-so-tired eyes. I sprang off my bed and went to my small nightstand, opened the drawer, grabbing the dull uniform.

I sighed and crawled under my covers, changing into the skit and shirt. After I properly buttoned the shirt, I climbed out and sat on the edge of my bed, pulling up the tight socks. After I properly tucked my shirt and strapped my shoes, I brushed my hair, skipping the beret. I adjusted the tie and stared at the mirror. Yay gray life, yay me.

Carefully hiding the small notebook and pen in the inside pocket of my blazer. My hair was getting down to my shoulders again. Later when I'm in my "hide out", I'll have to get those rusty scissors and chop in to my chin again. It was still incredibly curly, as always. Most of the other girls here would be putting on their lip gloss that they snuck here.

I went with the rest of the flow to the mess hall, where our meals were served. I grabbed a peice of toast stuffing it in my mouth, skipping the butter. Shad wasn't here today. He was trying out a new foster family. We both knew it wouldn't work out. We made a promise to come back to the orphanage for each other. We were each other's only family. We knew that someday when we were old enough, we would run from this house of gray. Just like in my pathetic song.

I snuck out from behind the kitchen, also grabbing an apple. I trudged through un-mowed grass and through a few bushy trees until I found my "hide out". Mainly made of old trees, but Shad and I snuck out blankets and other things to build it with. Just on the other side of the fence, it was a perfect place to get away from the world. I got away from the world often.

I sat under my make-shift shelter. Sitting on a blanket Shad and I had lay there. No one could find this place. It was extremely hidden. It was my sanctuary. Where I celebrated my forgotten birthdays, where I sung out my useless poems, where I dreamt of a better life. I sighed and opened the little cardboard box on a make-shift shelf. Inside it held my things I held close to me. Shad had his own box. I debated if I should look through it once, but I told myself no. He wouldn't do that to me. That stuff has to be personal, though I was curios. I looked in my box. There in the box was the old red leather jacket, a picture of my dad, and the black beanie he stuck on my head that day.

I stopped the tears that were well up in my eyes from pouring down my cheeks. Maryanne threw this stuff away, but as soon as she left the room I dug through the trash and found them. She probably would've let me keep the picture if she knew it was in the jacket, but I would've rather kept the jacket. It was my mother's, who apparently was a magical woman who only appeared in my life when I was about to die. Sometimes I would still wonder if it was just a hallucination, if the police could have been the actual one's who killed the man and my young mind created the woman who was my supposed mother.

I also kept the beanie. It was the last thing my father gave me before his untimely death. I could not stop the death of him, I could not stop the bullet, just like I could not stop this tear from falling down my pale lightly freckled cheek. I wiped the salty drop from my face, silently scolding myself for softening so easily.

I slammed the cardboard box shut and put it back next to Shad's when I heard ruffling through the bushes. Out emerged Shad, back early from his no-longer foster family. He poked his freckle-less face from the bushes, showing his green eyes and short red hair. "I knew I'd find you here." He said in his chipper voice.

"You're back early." I said. I would've said "You're home early" but I remembered this wasn't home.

"Yeah, their daughter hated me so she insisted they send me home early. They wouldn't stop apologizing."

I smirked. He sat down next to me. "So, how's the prison been without me?" He asked.

"Same old."

He suddenly snapped my notebook out of my pocket. I gave up in yelling at him.

"What have you created now? Let's see; I'm sick of these roads being tough, I'm sick of life being rough. Wanna sing it for me?" He asked. For some reason, he had an obsession with my voice. I snatched the notebook from him and sang the poem aloud;

_I'm sick these roads being tough,_

_I'm sick of life being rough,_

_And just when I think I had enough,_

_I bump into you,_

_You remind me the life outside these walls,_

_You tell me stories of magical balls,_

_You pick me up from my many falls,_

_And no matter what I do,_

_I know I'm home when I'm with you_

_[CHOROS]_

_So let's break down these bricks,_

_They know what we're made of,_

_I'm not afraid of stones and sticks,_

_I wanna know where I come from,_

_Someday we'll escape,_

_From the bane,_

_Of our unfair existence,_

_From this house of gray,_

_That'll be the day,_

_For anyone who dares to be different,_

I let my voice fade at 'different'. He let out a small round of applause. "Bravo, bravo, Auna. Encour!" He teased in a fake accent. I smiled and rolled my eyes, shutting my notebook.

"So when's the day gonna be?" I ask leaning back an looking up at the sun who has yet to fully rise.

"The day for what?"

"Our escape," I said not looking at him.

"When we get so angry that we just leave."

"What do you mean 'angry'?"

"When this sorry excuse for an orphanage pulls the last lever."

"You mean last straw?"

"No."

"Whatever. The sooner; the better. I'm sick of this place."

"Then start packing. I know the next stunt the orphanage plays will be the last."

I smiled. Shad always knew what to say. "Pack what?" I teased. He smirked.

"By packing I mean sneaking food into out bags."

I chuckled a bit. I guess that's what happens When you Hate Something.

**A/N So, whatcha think? Good? Bad? Terrible? Amazing? Let me know please by reviewing. And all the song lyrics were written and belong to me. Though they were inspired by a song called 'Invisible' by Hunter Hayes. He's almost as dreamy as Percy Jackson and Jason Grace. But anyway, REVIEW and whatnot.**

** Overuse smiley faces :) :D :P**


	4. Chapter 2, Absolutely Sure?

**A/N Hi. You guys have been waiting so long you probably forgot you were waiting for this. Well, if any of you read this. And, you may have noticed, this is a series now! (yay) I've already got the next few books planned out. The next one is Ashna Farrel, then Sky London, then Flinn Greyshed, and more. And this story is no where near done yet! I like to plan for the future! And guess what! I deleted two more stories! OC's of Camp Half-Blood (because I just can't cut time out for that) and Ask the Seven (and Nico) (because it was breaking some new guidlines). Plus, I wanna steal the name OC's of Camp Half-Blood and use it for the name of this series. And does anyone else read Kingdom Keepers? Cause I realized there is, like, NO Kingdom Keepers fanfiction on here. I'm also doing this new thing where the name of the chapter is at the ending of each chapter. So, I know none of you are reading this anyway cause, guess what! Fourth post on this story and still zero reviews! Yay! I honestly don't care if none of you like this story, I will write it until I die (or untill it's done, wich will probably come first)! SO, go ahead and read if you even are reading this story. I've only, got one real follower on this story anyway... Or do I?**

Chapter 2; Absolutely Sure?

For the next few days, Shad and I shoved our backpacks with everything dear to us. Our 'special boxes' and whatnot, but mainly food. We managed to sneak matches and some money even. We decided to leave on Friday night. It wouldn't be surprising to see kids out after dark on a Friday, and on Saturday there are no school hours that we would be skipping. There was one problem to our plot though; Where do we go?

We had no where to go. We were both in the orphanage when we were young. We had no idea where our relatives were or if we even had any. As far as we knew, we would just make it to a different orphanage or something, but Shad insisted he knew some place we could go. Question was: Where? He said he had dreams where a voice told him where to go. Should I listen to my best friend who could be hallucinating about a voice? Then again; He may be just as crazy as me, with me seeing my imaginary mother and all.

Finally, Friday had come. I lay in my bed, watching the moon rise to its fullest. It was after bed hours, but I was sure Shya or someone was awake. About an hour later, I slowly sat up. The curtains were mostly closed, but I shut them more securely, that way no one saw my shadow and whatnot. I slid out of bed, in my white pajama shirt and pants. My cold bare feet touched the cheaply carpeted floor. I grabbed the few things left on my nightstand and tip-toed out of the girls' bed room. I then snuck into a nearby supply closet and grabbed some clothing. I put on the girls' button-up dress shirt and tie, not sure why. I was about to pull on the skirt when I realized that pants were probably suitable, considering I might not be even in a house for the next few weeks, months even. After slipping on the boy's dress shoes, I quietly snuck down to the boys' bed room, where Shad just gently shut the door, also fully dressed. He wore almost the same as me, but no tie. Neither of out shirts were tucked, either.

This isn't the first escape attempt from this orphanage that kids have tried to pull off. One time, two boys named Brantly and Sky escaped the prison. We used to be close. Not good friends, but more than acquaintances. Anyway, they escaped one night a few years ago without so much as a goodbye. It was a slightly sad time, because I had a minor crush on Sky. But, that doesn't matter. They're either with a loving family or another orphanage. Or dead. I put that thought out of my mind. I decided to stick with the loving family image. Yes, that was much friendlier.

We snuck downstairs, where most nursemaids were asleep. Not all, but most. Occasionally, we'd pass by a room where few were talking, but eventually we made it to the kitchen. This hadn't been like any other time sneaking out to go to the mini mart or something. This was actually leaving. A wave of doubt crossed over me for a moment. _Is this place really that bad? Do I really hate it here? Am I absolutely sure?_

I then shook my head out of these thoughts. Yes, I was absolutely sure. I had never been more absolute about anything ever. Sure, there were people like Maryanne and Shya I might miss, but a whole new life was waiting.

After sneaking through the kitchen, we made it to the exit door. This door was the only available exit, but if we opened it, it would sound a fire alarm. I gulped, rethinking our plan. As soon as we open the door, we sprint to our secret hideout, where our backpacks and stuff are. We remain deathly silent untill the nursemaids stop looking and think it was just a prank. By the time they realize Shad and I are missing we should be long gone. I turned to Shad, with his short red hair and deep green eyes. He nodded, saying he was ready. I nodded to, and he held up three fingers. Three... Two... One... We immediately pushed through the door and ran into the bushy trees. We heard the alarm sound about five seconds after us and lights immediately flickered through the windows. We dove into our base, wich we had previously camoflouhged with branches, and remained deathly still. Thank God there aren't cameras at that crummy orphanage.

We remained still for an hour. After the nursemaids and staff figured there was no fire, they sent the children back to bed, not realizing two teenagers were missing. We eventually got into our backpacks to make sure we had everything. I pulled on my red leather jacket and zipped it up, so no one would recognize the orphanage uniform. Shad had a green sweatshirt he pulled over himself. It looked a little tacky with the dress pants, but I didn't imagine my outfit looked much better.

We pulled our backpacks over our backs and quietly and cautiously stood, looking all around. Eventually deciding the coast was clear, we walked our was to the tall black fence. Now, it was the only division from this prison and our freedom. I felt like a villain breaking out of jail. My heart was beating fast. I took a step closer when I realized we were being followed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Asked a voice from behind us. We spun on our heels immediately. There, in her pajamas, stood Maryanne. How did she know we'd escaped?

"We were just, uh, well, you see-" Shad started, coming up with an excuse.

"Save it." Maryanne said, holding a hand up to silence him. "I want the truth."

I decided the truth was better than lying. "We were running away." I said, drooping my head in shame.

"Why?" Asked Maryanne, baffled.

"This place; it's a prison. There's no room for creativity or being different. It's gray and heartless and not a home. Why? I wanna find my home; where I belong. I don't want to be here anymore." I said, my voice breaking at the end.

Maryanne turned to Shad. "What's your excuse?"

"I can't let my only family get killed by herself." He shrugged, earning a glare from me. Did he really think I was going to get killed?

Maryanne paused examining us, but I already knew the answer: 'Get back inside and go to bed before my boss finds out about this.' Was what she would say. She would point back at the mansion and stomp her foot at our misbehavior and disobedience. This was taking too long I sighed and took a step back towards the mansion.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Asked Maryanne.

"Home," I replied, not looking up.

"Well," Said Maryanne, "I believe you're going the wrong way."

I looked up at her in confusion, but she smiled and gestured me to follow her. I did, Shad trailing behind. She took us to the gates. I didn't have time to question her as she got her key and opened them wide. I rose a brow at her in confusion. "Well?" She asked, gesturing towards the gates. "Go. Your life awaits. You'll find your home. You have to believe there is someone out there who loves you."

"Wait, you're letting us go?" Shad asked, as baffled as I was.

"Are you going or not? We don't have all night."

I smiled and gave her a hug. "Thank you." I said, and we left the place of gray, to never see it again. I was Absolutely Sure.

_**HEY! SEE THAT LITTLE TYPING WINDOW DOWN THERE! YEAH, TYPE SOMETHING IN IT AND CLICK 'POST'! IT'S CALLED REVIEWING! YOU SHOULD TRY IT! OR DON'T! I DON'T CARE EITHER WAY, BUT IF YOU DO I WILL UPDATE FASTER! REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATES!**_


	5. Chapter 3, Lost in New York

**A/N Hi guys! I didn't fall off the face of the planet, so that's good. Guess what? I'm continuing the story because ONE person wanted me to. Thanks, the goddess of fangirls, for being the first one to review this story!**

**DEMIGOD ALERT: Ok guys, on June 5th it's Uncle Rick's birthday! Everybody'sgoing to get on their social media and put a picture or something up using #HappyBirthdayUncleRick**  
**So get on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever social media you use, and put some sort of post up using #HappyBirthdayUncleRick**  
**Just to repeat myslef one more time (HASHTAG) HappyBirthdayUncleRick**  
**No, I'm not the only one doing this. An actual Facebook page is asking us to tell our friends and whatnot. In case you wanna follow them, It's The Heroes of Olympus Series.**  
**Thanks guys!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO**

Chapter 3; Lost in New York

Saying we were lost was an understatement. Saying we needed help was even more of one. We wandered the streets of the big city for hours without a clue where we were. Not to help it was still the middle of the night. In the middle of February. Just fantastic.

Shad and I walked down the streets. Not that I was feeling scared, but all the people out in the middle of the night was kinda freaky. Now, you have to sut us slack. We were raised in an orphanage all our lives. You couldn't get us to find the nearest super market if you paid us. I groaned and looked up at the sky, wich snow was falling from now. Like I said, fantastic.

I shivered, zipping up my jacket. We walked down crowded streets. We seemed to be in the suburban area of the city. Apartment building lined the streets. Now, I wished that I remembered what streets were called when I was little. At least I could find my old apartment and at least have an idea of where I was.

Wait a second, that's a great idea. If I could find my old apartment, that'd at least be a start.

"Shad!" I said, turning to him and shaking his arm. He rolled his eyes.

"What?" He groaned. I could tell he was tired.

"Do you know where the Spring Field Elementary is?"

"No, why?"

"Well, I used to go to school there. And if we went there, I could maybe find my old apartment building!"

He knit his brows in confusion. "What good would that do us?"

"Well, it's a start." I said. He pondered for a moment, and them turned to some random woman in the street.

"Excuse me," He said, catching her attention, "Do you know where Spring Field Elementary is?"

She looked confused. I couldn't blame her. Two strangely dressed teenagers were asking her directions to an elementary school in the middle of the night. "Walk to the end of this street and take a right onto Summer Street. On your left, you can't miss it." She said, and without offering any more information, walked off.

Shad shrugged and the two of us walked to the end of the street. Finally, finding the end of the street, we turned onto Summer Street, and walked for what seemed like ages. Finally, after I felt like my legs were about to fall off, we found it. A grey building with rainbows painted on the side. Not much had changed. Still, the multi-colored play ground still stood. "Alright," I said, "When I got out of school, I took this side alley here." I said, grabbing Shad by the arm and leading the way. I walked down the street, remembering the many times I would walk this way because my father was out drunk or riding his motorcycle. The whole reason he died, at least I assumed, was because some dude from another biker gang shot him.

I remembered in the spring, how I would have the oversized jacket wrapped around my waist as I walked down the street, picking dandelions. I remembered in the fall, how I had the jacket on, and I kicked leaves running down the street. I remembered in the winter, how I'd stop about the middle of the way there and just sit down and play with the snow until my dad found me. Even though he wasn't the most reliable guy in the world, I know deep down, my dad loved me.

Finally, turning out of the last alley way, I found it. After we left, the place seemed to be abandoned. The windows and doors were boarded up and a 'no trespassing' sign was on the door. I walked up to it, twisting the door knob. As I predicted, it was locked. I sighed in defeat. Since no one lived there, it would've been a great place to sleep. I wished I was still six, just able to walk around and go through the garage door.

Then, a thought occurred to me. What if I could? My dad owned the apartment, and I don't remember him locking the garage door after we left. So... what if?

Shad was about to walk away when I turned and started running around the building with a "Come on". He looked confused, but he listened. I found the dark blue door and stood in front of it. I wasted no time twisting the door knob. To my dismay, it was locked. I was about angry enough to punch a wall. In fact, I did. I immediately punished myself. I didn't even noticed the small 'clang' noise on the ground as I was checking ut my hand. Thankfully, I didn't punch that hard.

"Hey, Auna," Said Shad, kneeling to the ground.

"What?" I said through gritted teeth, still examining my hand.

"What's this?" He said, picking up something shiny.

I glanced up for a minute, but looked back down at my now bruising hand. Then I paused. I looked back up. A gold colored key was in Shad's hand. I knit my brows and swiped it out of his hand. "Where did this come from?" I said, flipping it over to see both sides.

"It fell out of your pocket when you were having your tantrum." He said, but I gave him a short glare, showing him that I was in no mood for mockery. I examined the key, wondering what it was. How did this get into my pocket? I wondered what it could've gone to when a thought occurred in my mind. I wasted no time shoving the key into the door knob, and, to my shock, it opened. I squealed in excitement, but Shad hushed me, reminding me it was still the middle of the night. I nodded and stepped inside of the garage.

The place was as if I had never left it. We shined our flashlights around that we got from the mini mart. My shoes were still against the wall by the door. My dad's many motorcycles were in place. The calender still said 'January 6, 1999'.

I walked across the floor, opening the other one to get into the house. It had a muggy smell to it, but otherwise it seemed the same. The remote still lay upside-down in the coffee table. The couch cushions still lay in the way I left them. Apart from the boarded up windows, dust, and rotten-food smell coming from the kitchen, the place almost seemed like... home.

After a while we used some old blankets from my room and set up a little camp in the living room. After going through my bag for a snack, I found the old beanie my dad gave me. I forgot I had it. I slipped it on my head, thinking about how wonderful this would've been earlier. Finally we lay down onto the ground. The blankets were cold from having not been used in nine years, but our body temperature would soon warm them up. I didn't realize how tired I was, but apparently I was exhausted; As soon as I closed my eyes, I was asleep. At least I could get away a little bit from being Lost in New York.

**A/N Thanks guys! Remember: #HappyBirthdayUncleRick**

**Review and overuse smiley faces!**


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